Diggers and Merchants: A Congolese copper digger

Josué Mukeba has worked the copper quarries in the Democratic Republic of Congo for years. Now he wants a stake in the new order. ‘Diggers and Merchants’, by filmmaker Nelson Makengo, immerses us in a life of exhausting physically labour and brutal conditions. Faced with a new law, Josué stands up for himself and the other diggers. They don’t paint themselves as victims: they just want a fair chance and some respect.

This film was produced as part of the Africa Direct series for Al Jazeera